Machinery for making pill-boxes



AM. PHOTO-LITRO. CD. NX. (USBURNE'S PROCESS.)

t 'y l@ s Arns- QFFICE.

ASA FESSENDEN, OFfTEMPLET-ON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINERY FOR MAKING PILL-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,162, dated March 12, 1850.

Tall whom timely concern leit.knowny that I, ASA FnssnNDE-N, of Baldwinville, in the town ofl Templeton, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassa.-

chusetts, have invented a certainnew and.

and I do hereby declare that the nature of my invention and the manner in which it operates are fully set forth and described in the following speciiication and accompanying drawings,.letters,.figures, and references thereof.

Of` the said drawings Figure 1' represents a top, or plan view of. my improved machine. Fig, 2I is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, takennearly on the plane of the lower or undersides, of the circular saw puppets, or supportingnframes or. onthe line ab Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is another horizontalsection takenbelow that last named and on the line c (l. Fig. 2]' ust above the pulleys of the main driving shaft.` Fig. 12 is anvelevation of the end at which the crank is situated. Fig.l 131 is a longitudinal vertical, and` central section. Fig. lgis a transverse vertical and central section. Fig. 1.5 is the same as Fig. 7,` but on an enlarged scale. Such other figures as may be necessary toy a full` and clear delineation, and description of the mechanism will be-hereinafter specified and explained.

. In;4 the several drawings, t, represents the frameworkwhich is to be made-generally as representedk in` them, andvto beadapted to;y sustain the operativerparts of the niechanismplaced upon the opposite end of the shaft E, andy is jointed to av` connecting rod H,

which extends inward toward the center 0fY the framework, and, is jointedito the outer Around this pulley a beltend of an arm I, which projectshorizontellyy and at right anglesfrom aA vertical shaft K, arrangedinthe-central part of the machine,

vor framework, and sustained at its ends orjournals, in bearings applied to transverse frames L, M. As the'outer extremityof thearm I` is alternately moved first .in onevdirec- Ition and next in the opposite, by the-revolutions of the crank. Gr, operatingl through the connecting rodi H, the verticalY shaft K. is. lalso alternately movedv on its bearings a.

short distance first in onedirection andnext; 1n an opposite one.

l The shaft K has` four arms N, O, P, Q,

ione of four horizontal' connectingl linksv or;`

heden, s, T, U, the links n, s,.p1-0jeaing from the arms in oppositedirect-ions totheothersT, U. The twolinks Rt, S,.ar.ejointed ,at their other ends toithe-verticalcutter car-- lriage- V, supported.- so as to movelaterally,

first in one directionfand'then in-anioppositel one, uponv thehorizontal rods XX.. The lother-links T, U, are similarly connected to .another cutter carriagefW., sustained uponl lrodsA so as toy move like the carriage- V, lbut always in a directionopposite to that in= whichv the carriage V may be impell'ed.. vEach ofy the said cutter carriages'. has one or more arbors or mandrelsl Y, karrangedA Each of; thesaid las seen in the drawings.

mandrels has a small. pulley. a, xed upon 1t, at. ornear itsA middle, around. and over.

which (pulley)` an endless band: a, extends,`

andthence is carried,v downward, under,.and-f partiallyy around, and iny closeoontact with drum pulleyb, situated upon a `horizontalshaft. c, which is driveniby means ofasmall pulley al, upon it,- a band; on belt e,y and a drum pulleyfff, arrangedand fixed upon-the maindriving shaft ask seen inthedrawings.

AtI each extremity ofeach.y mandrel. or arbor Yan` apparatus for turning or.- forming a box, or its cover 1s-fXed,the said apparatus..

boring,y tool consisting:4 in,r part off aV which deor auger, g, (see,x Fig., 5,

notesv a central andi longitudinal sectionof` v one ofthe shafts or arbors Y, and itsturn ingA apparatus) extending from the end of the arbor., andin line with its axisand.als.0

of a hollow o-r cylindric, or other proper shaped frame h, attached to the arbor, and surrounding the boring tool or auger, and not only` carrying the cutting tool c', by which the exterior surface o-f the cylindric box, or its cover is turned, but another cutting tool 7:, by which the rebate, or part of the box upon which the cover is placed is made.

In line with the axis of the mandrel produced, and connected with each turning apparatus of the mandrel, one of a series of feeding apparatuses-is arranged as seen at A, A, &c., in 2, and at A', A, B, B, in Fig. 1, each of the said cutting apparatuses for the purpose of feeding up the stick of wood from which the boxes are to be cut as fast as such may be necessary. The sticks, or'strips of wood to be reduced to boxes, are to be sawed out square in cross section, and to rest and move upon one of a series of fixed or stationary horizontal shelves Z, Z, &c., disposed as seen in Figs. 1 Yand 2. Fig. 6 isa longitudinal and central section of two adjacent feeding apparatuses. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the same, and Fig. VS, is a transverse and vertical section of part of one of the four posts m, extending upward from or making part of the frame A, as seen in the drawings. l

Each shelf Z, has a small metallic plate n, placed upon it and in a depression o, of it, in depth equal to the depth of the plate, and in length sutlicient to admit of the back and forth movement of the plate, as will be hereinafter described. The two'plates of the two adjacent shelves Z, Z, are connected together by a vertical piece of metal p (as seen in Figs. 1 and 7, from the central part of whose exterior side a stud r, projects as denoted in Figs. 2, 7, and 9, of t-he drawings. Eachof the plates n, has a fixed bar r, of metal applied vertically to its inner edge, and a bow spring s, similarly fixed upon, and extending above its outer edge.

The outer end of the bow spring has one end of a bar t, similar to the bar r, attached to it, each of the bars r, and t, having teeth formed upon their inner adjacent surfaces, in the manner as seen in Fig. 9, which is a horizontal section of them. Two spring bars u, o, having teeth upon the under surfaces of their rear or outer ends, are arranged with respect to the shelves Z, Z, and barsvr, t, as seen in the drawings, and are connected at their inner ends to a vertical slide or frame of metal fw, see Fig. S, from whose front side a stud m, projects, and through a slot or mortise y, formed in thevpost m, (as seen in Fig. 16, which represents a front view of the part of the post in which'the mortise is made) and also a curved slot z5, of a plate a, screwed to the cuttercarriage in the position as seen in Fig. 2, the said plate a, being shaped and app-lied to the feeding apparatuses as therein presented. Another similar plate vand feeding apparatus are applied to the other cutter carriage. 'Y

Each of the plates n, has a rod b, fastened to and underneath it, and extending outward from it as seen in Fig. 6. Around this rod, a spring c, is wound or passed, one end of which bears against the plate, or a projection therefrom, and the other against a plate c2, screwed against the shelf.

Wrhcnever the cutter carriage is moved toward the feeding apparatus, the ytwo spring bars u, o, will be depressed or forced down upon the strips 'of wood beneath them, and will so remain while the straight or horizontal part of the groove or slot e, of the plate a, passes over the stud As the carriage continues to advance the end of the plate 1r/,lor a projection d, shaped properly for each carriage, will come into contact with the stud g, projecting from the piece of metal p, and will force said piece of metal, and the` toothed bars connected with it, backward, or in the direction in which the plate a, is moving, and thus cause the toothed bars r, t, to slip or slide over the sides of the strips of wood, in the shelves adjacent to them.

Vhen the motion of the cutter carriage is reversed, the spring bars u, o, are elevated from the strip,. so as to permit the springs c, c to throw the toothed bars r, t, and the strips of wood .forward toward the cutters.

Every time either of the cutter carriages approaches toward either of the feeding apparatuses, the cutting apparatus of such feeding apparatus, cuts a box or box lid, upon the stick or piece of wood, which on being formed is separated from the stick by one of two circular saws e', f, each being arranged between and at right angles to the cutter carriages, as seen in Fig. 1, and applied to the inner extremity of one of two horizontal mandrels or shafts g', ZL',

which are respectively supported by and revolve in, two puppet heads, or frames z", Z2. Each of the said headsor frames z" 7:', is to be supported upon transverse rails or rods, or other suitable contrivances, which will admit of a reciprocating rectilinear movement of t-he carriage and its saw, and in directions toward and away from the cutter frames, and to such extent as to carry the saw against and through the sticks on which the boxes are turned. The saw shafts are each revolved by a pulley Z, a band m', and a pulley or drum n; the former pulleyrbeing arranged upon the saw shaft, and the latter pulley upon the driving shaft. The mechanism by which each of 'the saws is caused -to alternately move in one direction and in the opposite is as follows.

The vertical shaft K, has two arms o', p',

(Figs. 2 and 3,) projecting from it, just above and at right angles to the arms P, (M), before described each of the said arms 0, p', being made to extend underneath one of the frames z", c, and toward a horizontal lever 1*, arranged underneath the saw frame, or in' the position as seen in the drawings. The inner end of the lever, and the lower part of the saw frame, are connected by a connecting rod S, see Figs. 3 and 13, properly jointed to each. The lever turns horizontally, or vibrates first in one direct-ion, and next in the opposite, upon a suitable fulcrum at its rear end. The outer end of each of the arms 0', p', has a small slide (see F ig. l0, which denotes a vertical section of the end of one of the arms 0, 7)', and the grooved plate beneath it) placed wit-hin it, and adapted so as to move back and forth in the endof the arm, in the direction of the length of the arm. rIhe said slide is moved by a stud u, which projects from its under side, and enters a curved groove t', formed in a plate lw, arranged horizontally beneath it, Fig. l1, exhibiting a top view of the plate and groove` Vvlhen the stud u', passes into the eccentric portion of', of the groove, the slide t, in the end of the arm, will be forced outward and against the side of the lever r, and as the arm continues to move it will move the lever, and thus cause the saw and its frame to slide or move toward one of the cutter carriages. lVhile the' stud is moving in the short straight portion 1 the saw is performing its office of cutting olf the turned box. And when the stud passes entirely through the part e, of the groove, the slide is drawn into the arm so as to permit one of the springs a2, b2, by its recoil, to throw the saw and its frame toward the center of the machine. The two springs a2, 722 beneath each saw carriage or frame are disposed as seen in the drawings, and act against a stud c2, which projects downward from the underside of the saw frame, and between them, and brings up against a stud c6, projecting upward from a stationary metallic cross bar c6.

From the above description it will be seen that four or eight sticks of wood may be operated. upon, by the two cutter carriages, and their cutters, at one and the same time; the feeding operations taking place at one end of each carriage, while the cutter of the opposite end, andthe saw thereof, are performing their respective operations.

The cutter frame 7L, with its tool z", may be termed a hollow auger, as it cuts a cylinder upon the end of the stick. The tool g, placed concentrically within the frame h, is a boring tool, and cuts a cylindrical hole within the said cylinder. I/Vhen the cylinder or stick has advanced a sufficient distance within the frame or stock 7L, the cutter is broughtinto action against the wood and as the stick continues to enter, it (the said cutter is.) turns down upon the cylinder, so as to form the part of the box over and on which the cover is to be placed. In turning the cover of a box the tool 7c, is not used. In other respects the cover is made in the same manner as the body of the box, except lthat it is generally made much shorter. In the operation of the machine a box body is first made on the stick adjacent to one end of one of the mandrels. This being effected, the machinery so act-s as to move the cutters in action, out of action, and at the same time carry those at the opposite end of the mandrel into action against a stick from the feeding apparatus belonging to such end; the stick of such feeding apparatus having in the mean time been advanced the proper distance toward its cutters. From the above it may be said, that while one set of cutters at one extremity of the mandrel is in the act of leaving their work, those at the other end are in action and performing their oiiice of reducing a stick` Consequently the operation of the machine may be said to go on withoutcessation.

By means of the carriage IV, and its mandrels, cut-ters, and feeding apparatuses, combined with the carriage V, and its operating mechanism, double the amount of work can be done in the same or about the same time, that can be effected by the use of but one carriage, having t-he same number of mandi-els. The automatic combinations above described, enable a person, to manufacture either match or pill boxes, with great rapidity, and perfection.

I-Iaving invented an automatic, or self direct-ing machineof great value in the manufacture of boxes, and having hereinbefore described the same, what therefore I claim as my invention, is as follows.

I lay no claim to the particular tools or reducing cutters used in cutting the wood of a stick, but

IVhat I do claim is- 1. The above described peculiar arrangement of two or more sets of reducing cutters, applied to one carriage V as abovel set forth, two or more sets of reducing cutters, applied to another carriage IV in a similar manner, feeding apparatus, applied as above set forth, to each cutting apparatus, and two circular saws playing between and acting in concert with t-he adjacent opposite cutting apparatus of both carriages V, W; the whole operating together substantially as above specified.

'2. I also claim the combination of machinery, by which each of the circular saws, o-r their puppet heads, or carriages, are alternately moved, first in one direction, and next in the opposite direction, and on their supporting ways; the said machinery consisting of the arm 0', or p, al'liXed to the upright shaft K, the slide t', and its projecting pin applied to end of the Said arm, the grooved cam plate lw', the lever or arm 7", connecting rod s', the pin c2, projecting from the underside o the Carriage, and the 10 springs a?, b2, the Whole being constructed and made to operate, substantially in the manner, and for the purpose, as hereinbefore specilieol.

In testimony whereof I have heretoA set my signature.

ASA FESSlilNDlfN` Vitnesses HENRY NEWTON, CLARISSA NEWTON. 

